Tis the Season of Giving

Welcome back! We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday filled with family, friends, lots of good food, and fun. We are now officially in the holiday season -- even though we've seen festive touches popping up for weeks, and our offices have been buzzing with talk of the deals on Black Friday, Small Business Saturday (a local favorite!!) and Cyber Monday, which has actually turned into Cyber Week with deals and special offers each day.

One very important day this week was Giving Tuesday. It's absolutely fabulous that there is now a day dedicated to raising awareness about another aspect of the holiday season -- giving to those in need. As important as it is to show our family and friends how much we care for them, we feel it is also important to show our community and deserving charities how much we care as well.

We take great pride in the fact that many of our agents are very active volunteers in the Tri-State community, and as a company, we are so happy to give throughout the year to many deserving organizations. If you recall last year, our Marketing Manager Kristina Arwood began a movement to pay off local school lunch tabs right before Christmas. Her generous and thoughtful contribution sparked our team and many others in the Tri-State do give as well. Tens of thousands of dollars were given to our local school kiddos with the hope that they will not have to worry about a lunch tab they cannot pay off or eating a different lunch than their peers because they have an outstanding balance. Her idea and actions were a perfect example of what this season is truly about. The holiday season is a time when we all try to give and share a bit more, whether it's gifts for families in need, a bit of extra money at church, or our time at a local nonprofit or school. Please, share your love and talents with those who can use it most right now.

Of course, our business is real estate, but we feel that our purpose goes beyond that. As we have shared before, we often get to know the families we work with quite well, and because of that, we get to hear about new causes all the time and the charitable organizations and groups that are passionately working for them.

We continue to be inspired by our friends and clients, and especially during the holidays we want to give all we can, and we encourage all of you to do the same.

While we don't feel it's appropriate to promote any particular organization because there are SO many deserving groups, we will gladly promote the idea of finding a cause you are passionate about and give what you can to them. We also love the idea of supporting local organizations -- let's ensure our time and gifts truly support our neighbors in need this season.

Not sure where to start? Here are a few ways you can contribute this season:

• Donate old clothes, especially winter gear like coats, hats, gloves & boots to a local church, Goodwill or anywhere taking donations.
• Give just $10 more each week at your house of worship through the holiday season if your budget allows.
• Sign up for a giving tree, where your family can purchase gifts for a family who wouldn't otherwise be able to provide gifts this year. Banks, churches, and schools are typically great resources to find out more. Your resident blogger's family participated in an "angel tree" this year and just turned in gifts, coats, and shoes to two young ladies who needed some help.
• Call local non-profits and ask if they need some extra volunteers this year at any of their holiday events (this is a busy time of year for them too!).
•  Donate nonperishable food items to our local food banks -- they provide lots of holiday meals!
• An idea that one of our agents shared last year is the idea of an Advent Box, where office members or family members bring a can of food each day of December as they count down to Christmas. Right before the holiday, donate all the goods to a food bank. Can you imagine how much food we could give if we all worked on this? Love this idea! It's so easy and could be done in any school or workplace.
• Get the kids involved and have them choose some of their toys to donate before Santa and family members give them new ones. Check online for some really neat, creative ways to facilitate this task. 
• Ask local animal shelters what items they need this time of year. Even better, volunteer to go play with the animals or take them for walks (the best idea is to adopt a furry friend this Christmas season!)

What other ways are you giving this holiday season? We would LOVE to hear what awesome things you're up to!